$82 billion by 2013. A decade of spending at that level would total $820 billion dollars — more than the president’s stimulus program!

This is to be expected when we have more people receiving food stamps than ever before, in addition to spending more per person than ever before. Look for even greater increases in the number of recipients in the future. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been advertising the SNAP program to immigrants, of both the legal and illegal variety. Legal immigrants are often only allowed in the country on condition of gainful employment and are generally barred from receiving federal aid. Yet apparently this hasn’t stopped the USDA from collaborating with the Mexican government to make sure as many people as possible receive these benefits.

The goal of aid programs like SNAP should not be their own expansion. The ultimate goal for all aid programs should be to reduce the need for aid programs. Yet government officials seem to have forgotten this idea.

Rising unemployment—or the persistence of its high rate–makes it logical to expect increase in the number of people needing government assistance. The burden must diminish government’s capacity to work toward strengthening the economy. It is surprising then to learn from this article that the government has expanded its pool of the poor deserving a share of its bounty by including illegal immigrants. And, it is not clear what reasoning justifies doing this.